PASTOR: Ultimately responsible for the parish cemetery, but most have never been schooled about its theological value, pastoral opportunities, and administrative requirements. Reading these Newsletters and the manuals of the Toolbox for Parish Cemeteries enables the busy pastor or pastoral administrator to understand challenges, recognize opportunities, easily delegate, supervise, and offer periodic theological, pastoral and operations/maintenance suggestions.

PARISH BUSINESS MANAGER: Often delegated for parish cemetery oversight, the parish business manager is occupied with a myriad of parish challenges and typically doesn’t have prior cemetery experience or the time/opportunity to fully appreciate the complexity of the parish cemetery apostolate and bring a complex mix of religious and business disciplines to cemetery administration. The manuals and newsletters help the manager more fully accept cemetery administrative responsibilities, hire/supervise a cemetery manager, or form and work with a group of parish volunteers willing to undertake responsibility for this apostolate.

CEMETERY BOARD: The Newsletters and the Toolbox provide a comprehensive overview of the opportunities and challenges in the proper administration and effective use of the myriad of evangelizing opportunities available through a parish cemetery. Across the United States volunteer cemetery board members continue to advance in age and seek replacements; these resources offer opportunities to educate and support an existing board. They are also intended as tools to recruit, train, and guide new board members into a more effective ministerial service in this apostolate.

FINANCE COUNCIL: Often parish structures don’t recognize the variety of ministerial roles the parish cemetery can and should play in a parish community. For that understanding to take place, parish leadership, including various boards and councils, should understand the mission and ministerial opportunities within the cemetery apostolate. When cemetery leaders present their reports and requests, council members, having become familiar with these resources, can better understand the complexities of parish cemetery challenges and opportunities and become responsible guides and innovative helpers in this apostolate.

DIOCESAN LEADERSHIP: Those within the various departments of an archdiocese or diocese have incredible resources at their command. Whether the department is pastoral, clergy, finance, human resources, catechetical or liturgical, those leading and staffing these resources to parishes can offer an incredible number of creative and essential supports to parishes with their own cemetery responsibilities. To do this, an essential foundation of parish cemetery knowledge is essential. The Toolbox for Parish Cemeteries offers this knowledge in an organized and comprehensive fashion. The Newsletters help to keep current the information contained in the Toolbox manuals.